She’s so great

Everyone knows one of those girls. “She’s so great, right?” We say this to our friends, our partners. Maybe on a calm Sunday morning over coffee you even spill her story to your mom. She’s fantastic, she’s wonderful. Funny, and people love her. So how come it hasn’t really…happened for her yet? It will, someday, we assure ourselves. It’s just time.

Judy Greer is this girl to me. I think she’s just fantastic. Funny and sardonic and approachable. Seriously, if you like Glee, you’d have loved the (very short lived) work that was “Miss Guided”. It kills me that what she’s best known for is 13 Going on 30. As the best friend, no less.

But all this may be about to change. Judy Greer will begin recurring this year as the soon-to-be ex of Ashton Kutcher. I don’t know how many episodes this means. I do know it means Judy Greer will get arguably the largest exposure she’s ever had.

On Two and a Half Men.

Now, let’s just clarify the kind of ‘problem’ we’re talking about here. Judy Greer is a working actor with a healthy (if not buying-power influential) fan base. But I think everyone who likes her – who sees her as a viable and attractive girl next door – is waiting for her to hit something with real significance. Then again, what do I know? Maybe she’s thrilled she’ll be making something steady for a few weeks instead of wondering where it’s going to come from?

Dai who sent us the news this article was based on asked whether at a certain point, an actor should be responsible for her own career choices. The answer is, absolutely. This is an actor who’s been around enough that if she’s choosing to be on this sitcom, it’s strategic. Either she wants the steady paycheck or she’s convinced (arguably by her people) that this will give her bigger recognition or she’s excited because she lives close to the studio.

Look, all of these are fine. Everyone has to make rent while waiting for their Mad Men to come along.

But on the heels of this news comes news that Courtney Thorne-Smith will also be recurring on the season. This is nothing to sneeze at either. This is another working actress, who has more money in residuals alone than your entire high school class will make in a decade. But…it speaks to something slightly different, I guess.

This is what you guys mean when you derisively say ‘TV Actress’, I suppose. Someone who is content to work in the most mainstream forms of the medium. And let’s be very, very clear. Among the hordes who audition every day, for months without a call, Judy Greer is very lucky. She’s just…going a different way. And maybe, she’ll actually get some former cynics to watch. Right?